Improvement in seam ing-m achi nes



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. J. GORDON. Beaming-Machine. No. 222.691. Patented Dec. I6, 1879.

lmlllll d or m 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Jzaveniar @i l m ow b,

Patented Dec. 16, i879.

W J GORDON Seamin'g-Machine.

V I I Fig .4

' Aiiess WILLIAM J. GORDON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN S'EAMlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,69 l, dated December 16:, 1879; application filed October 18, 1879.

To all whom it may cmtcern:

Be it.known that I, WILLIAM J. GORDON, of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Seaming-lllachiues, of which I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, reference same looking from the side, the movement of t the knife-former being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a partial sectional detail of the clutch upon the driving-shaft which connects or disconnects said driving-pulley and the shaft. Fig. 4: is a central sectional elevation of the clamping jaws, plunger, knifeformer, and can-holder die as said parts appear in facing the machine when the overlapped metal blank which forms the side body of the can has been placed in position and is ready for the action which forms the seam Fig. 5, a similar view of the same parts, the jaws having descended and the first crimp having been formed; Fig. 6, a similar View of the same parts, the plunger having descended and completed the formation of the seam, the

jaws having ascended and released their gripe, and the knifeformer having dropped. Figs. 7 and 8 are enlargedpartial end views of the lap of the side body as it appears, respectively, before action of the machine and after the action represented in Fig. 5; and Fig. 9, a similar View of the seam completely formed as it is produced by my improved machine.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts wherever used.

Referring to the drawings, Arepresents the frame work of my machine, being a tablestand supporting two parallel standards, B B,

. which serve to support the mechanism. 0 is catin g frame after the cams have depressed it.

Centrally the reciprocating frame enlarges to form a hollow vertical sleeve, J, Fig. 1, and centrally at its baseit is expandedtransversely to form the two clamping-jaws K K. L is the can-holder die, the same being a bed-die of any desired form, projectinghorizontall y from the table of the stand in line heneath the clamping-jaws, and in the drawings represented of cylindrical form,adapted for use with cylindrical cans, although it may be shaped to hold any other fornrot' can.

M is the plunger, the striking-face of which is of the same transverse length as the jaws, and which is caused to reciprocate between the jaws by the action of a stem to which it is secured. N is the stem above named, which plays through the sleeve of the die-frame, extending above such sleeve, and there terminatin g in an eccentric-collar, O, encircling an eccentric, P, upon the driving-shaft. Q is the knife-former, the upper face of which is beveled off on one side, so as to be of the form represented in section in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. The knife-former rests in a slot longitudinally channeled through the can-holder die, and projects to the rear of the same, where it is connected by a slotted link-connection, R, playin g through a slot in the knife, with a rockershaft, S, connected by a link, S, with therear of the eccentric-collar O. Y j The knife-former has one, two, or more inclined planes, '1, out into its base, while transversely across the slot in the holderdie are one, two, or more liftingstuds, U U, spanned by the cutaway or inclined'plane portions of the base of the knife-former, the arrangement being such that as the rocker-shaft throws the knife-former forward the latter rises, by means of its inclined planes, over the studs into the position represented in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

V is a longitudinal countersink in the canholder on the side of the slot thereof which lies nearest to the knife-edge of the knifeformer.

In Fig. 3 I have represented a convenient form of clutch for throwing the driving-pulley into or out of gear with the shaft. 111 the clutch represented two disks, 1 and 2, are mounted on the shaft where it project-s beyond the standards. 1 is keyed to the shaft. 2 is free both to rotate and to slide laterally upon said shaft. Two pins, 3 3, secured to the disk 2, project laterally through holes in disk 1 and into sockets 4t 4 in the hub of the pulley when the disks lie together, so as to bind the pulley to the shaft. A spring, 5, keeps the two disks together in such position. The disk 2 has a cam, 6, upon its face next to disk 1.

A pin, 7, upon a pivot-arm, 8, is ordinarily kept by a counter-spring and lever, 9, (spring not-shown in drawings,) between the disks in such manner as to wedge them apart, compress the spring, and retract the pins from out the pulley, leaving the latter free to play on its shaft. A treadle, 10, and treadle-bar 11, however, act when depressed to draw the pin from between the disks, and thus permit the clutching of the pulley to the shaft to set the mechanism in action.

Such being the construction of my invention, it is operated as follows: Theknife-former being drawn out by a handle into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, which the 'slotted link-connection permits, the overlapped blankis placed on the holder-die over the knifeformer, as represented in Fig. 4, andthe treadle is held depressed, so as to set the machine in action. By the rotation of the shaft the frame E is depressed, and the jaws consequently brought down upon the overlapped blank, so as to crimp its double thickness down against the holder into the form shown in Figs. 5 and 8, the return-rods being brought down and their spiral springs compressed. The eccentric is so set and timed relatively to the cams that, while the jaws still clamp the metal into the form shown in Fig. 5, it acts upon the rockshaft so as to cause the pin in link It to strike the end of the slot in the knife-formerand draw it back into the position shown in black lines in Fig. 2in other words, below the level of the can-holder die, which action the arrangement of the inclined planes and studs permits. The further rotation of the shaft and eccentric brings the plunger down upon the unsupported crimp of metal, (the rotation of the cams and the recoil of the springs having meanwhile permitted the release and ascent of the clamping-jaws,) so as to double the crimp over into the seam represented in Fig. 9, which the countersunk slot in the can-holder die permits, whereupon the plunger rises, and, by the release of the treadle and consequent action of the clutch, the further rotation of the driving-shaft is ended until removal of the seamed can-body and the application of a new overlapped blank. W

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In an organized machine for forming a seam in metal without the use of solder, the following instrumentalities in combination, viz: a can-holder die to hold and support the overlapped blank of metal, a knifeformer to aid in making the first crimp, clamping-jaws for similar purpose, and a plunger to compress the crimped metal into the seam, substantially as described. I

2. In combination with the can-holder die L, the knife-former Q, adapted by suitable mechanism to be elevated above the face of said die or to be dropped flush with the same, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. In combination with the knife-former Q, the eccentric P, rocker-shaft S, and link-connection R to operate the knifeformer, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the knife-former Q, provided with the inclines T, the lifting-studs U, as and for the purpose specified.

5. In combination with the can-holder die L and the knifeformer Q, the clamping-jaws K, adapted to descend while the knife-former is elevated and to ascend when the knifeformer drops, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, substantially as de scribed, with the plunger M and with the knife-former Q, of the eccentric P, rockershaft S, and its connections, to effect alternate action of said plunger and said knife-former, substantially as shown and described.

WVM. J. GORDON.

Witnesses:

WV. 0. STRAWBRIDGE, J. BONSALL TAYLOR. 

